On Saturday, February 4th, one of Raleigh’s newer but incredibly well known traditions took place in the Krispy Kreme Challenge. This event is widely known around the country for almost two  decades, being featured in Denise Malan’s “200 Races to Run Before You Die”, was ranked the number one thing to do before you graduate by the N.C. State Student Body Government, and in 2008, four years after the race was started, was featured as the number eighty-five event to go to before you graduate by Sports Illustrated. It was held in the downtown section of the NC State Campus. 

For any of those who don’t know, the Krispy Kreme Challenge involves participants running 2.5 miles from the Bell Tower on N.C. State’s Campus to the Krispy Kreme just outside of downtown Raleigh, eating a dozen donuts, and then running back to the bell tower. The money raised from this race is donated to the UNC hospital for gastrointestinal cancer research, and this year the Krispy kreme run was able to raise over $60,000. While the Krispy Kreme challenge is a charity race many do just for fun, some compete for sport with the winner of the race running the first 2.5 miles in thirteen minutes and eating the dozen in just over six  minutes and running the last 2.5 miles in seventeen minutes to run the race in thirty-six minutes.

On top of serious competitors, some people decide to dress up and enter the costume contest.   Some of the popular costumes this year included Guy Fieri, blow up T-Rex, Bumblebees, business men, Boy Scouts, bathing suits, and others in non traditional running attire. The people in the bathing suits had to have been freezing though as when the race started, it was twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit, and when it was over, it was barely above 30 degrees. 

I ran the Krispy Kreme challenge this year, and I have this to say on it. The Krispy Kreme challenge was almost everything it lived up to be, the course was challenging for a runner, and eating a dozen donuts was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. Especially since you realize how bad donuts taste after you’ve eaten seven  and still have five  more donuts left to go. There wasn’t anywhere near as much “trailglazing” as I’d heard there would be. Overall though the event was incredibly fun, and I think that everyone should try to run it, not only because the money goes to a good cause but because you get an excuse to eat a dozen donuts.